Universities in Victoria,, Australia?

Question

What university would you reckon is the best to go to? La Trobe, Univ of Melbourne, RMIT or Univ of Vic? I have no idea where to go. I'm immigrating from South Africa and don't even have a clue what the universities looks like,except the occasional picture on the web.

Answer 1

Different universities have different strengths, reputations and ranges of courses. Check out the Victoriam Tertiary Admissions Centre, which is the central body that organises applications to universities. They summarise all the institutins on their site so you can compare them.

Of the 4 that you list, Uni of Melbourne has the highest entry requirements and the best reputation generally, although for certain courses the others institutions have strong reputations too.

The best way to decide which uni is for you is to visit them all, if they all offer the course that you want. You can attend annual open days (usually in August), where the uni displays its resources and facilities and you can chat to students and staff. Most campuses also have a visitors centre where you can arrange to go on a tour.

Email each of the unis you're interested in and ask them to send you their prospective students guide. These guides outline the different fees, locations, range of courses, distance you'll need to travel, facilities and student outcomes ie how employable the graduates are.

Answer 2

To a large extent it will depend on what degree you're interested in doing as to which is the best for you, but Uni. of Melbourne is one of the top universities in the world and the top ranking Victorian university at #2 in Australia, followed by Monash at #6, La Trobe at #12 and RMIT at #20. Victoria University doesn't appear in the rankings - it appears to be different from a traditional uni in that it also offers TAFE and vocational courses.

Of course it doesn't matter what a uni looks like but as it happens, Uni. of Melbourne is one of Australia's older 'sandstone' universities with beautiful buildings and heaps of character. It's also in a fantastic position being located in Parkville which is close to the city and public transport.

La Trobe and Monash are a long way out of town. RMIT's main campus is in the city as is Victoria Uni.